Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and when it splutters add cumin seeds and turmeric powder. When jeera sizzles add the chopped green chillies , g.g.paste and onions . Saute well till the raw smell is diffused. Now add the crushed kasoori methi leaves and a generous pinch of salt. When oil leaves the sides, pour in the spice powders mixture. Add the baby potatoes. As salt as per requirement. Saute for a while till the potatoes are well coated and dry. Garnish with coriander leaves. This goes well with chappatis, pooris and a good side dish with rice as curry.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Left over bread OR Crust ends of loaves - 2 cupsNOTE : DO NOT USE STALE BREAD OR IF YOU SEE MOLD ON BREAD SLICES.

METHOD:

While making sandwiches , I often end up with a lot of crust end of loaves. Generally, children do not eat these rough ends. I use these for home made bread crumbs. Collect all the crust end of bread loaves. Put it in a plastic bag and tie tightly. Place this bag in the freezer compartment and it will become dry. When hard and dry, pulse in a mixie to crumbs or till you get the desired coarseness. Freeze them and use when needed. These crumbs can be used for crispy coatings in tikkis, cutlets and many delicious recipes which need bread crumbs.Another way is toasting the crust ends in an oven till golden brown and pulsing in a mixie to crumbs.

NOTE: IF YOU ARE MAKING GREEN GRAM CHAAT, USE CHAT MASALA. IF YOU ARE MAKING GREEN GRAM SALAD USE OLIVE OIL.

Wash the green gram well and soak it in water for half an hour. Pressure cook with salt for 2 whistles. Drain the cooked water completely. Mix all other ingredients. Temper with curry leaves in olive oil. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Cauliflowers are seasonal vegetables. Frozen cauliflowers are easy to make and can be freezed for future use & needs. Generally frozen vegetables can be used from one harvest till the other season. But I finish it within six months.

Break / cut cauliflower into medium-sized florets. Immerse the florets in a big vessel of water alongwith salt. Mix well and let it stand for 30 minutes.Doing like this checks out the worms and eggs in the flowers. Take out the florets and discard the water. Wash well again. WORK IN BATCHES HEREAFTER.KEEP THE ICE WATER READY.

Heat a pan of water and allow it to boil.

Now add the florets to this and allow it to boil for 3 more minutes.

Drain through a collander and immediately transfer it to the ice water pan. OR run under cold tap water till cool. Spread in a clean plate or cloth and cool it to room temperature. Repeat the process with all the florets. Pat it dry.

Fill the florets in a ziplock bag, leaving space in between. DO NOT PACK IT TIGHTLY. Seal the bags. Store the bags horizontally in the freezer.This consumes a lot of freezer space and hence I made only 2 cauliflowers. If you have space in the freezer, you can stock upto 5 cauliflowers.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Some say it as citron, not sure about the english name though. This is a salty, dry pickle and can be preserved for even 2 years. When stored for years the colour becomes black, yet EDIBLE. This pickle is given to women during their postpartum period. This pickle is an accompaniment with milk rice (paal saadham) given to convalescent people. Best home remedy for common cold, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, stomach upset, and travel sickness.

There are two ways of cutting narthangai. One way is to cut spirally, called "SuruL narthangai oorugai" and the other is to cut into pieces. This is called uppu narthangai oorugai.

Wash the narthangais well and pat it dry. Cut spirally as shown in the picture. Stuff with salt. (OR)If cut into easy-bite pieces.....Take a clean bowl, spread a layer of cut narthangais, and then a layer of salt and turmeric powder. Repeat the procedure.

Mix well and close tightly with a lid. Mix well daily using a dry spatula for 5 days. After 5 days, the salt will be absorbed and the pickle will become soft.

Spread in a clean plastic sheet and sun dry till hard and store in airtight containers.

Boil, peel and prick the potatoes with a fork. Marinate with the above paste for 1/2 an hour.

Heat oil, add cumin seeds. When it sizzles, add in the marinated potatoes and black pepper powder. Saute well till you see golden spots on the surface of the potatoes. Crush the kasuri methi with your palms and sprinkle over the potatoes and give a quick saute. Serve hot.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Grating ripe tomatoes is a task. But, tomatoes can be grated with these 2 tricks.

It is difficult to grate tomatoes as it will easily slip off the hand and wound the hand. Generally tomatoes are pureed by blanching and peeling the skin. Pureeing the tomatoes in a mixie is another way. Coming to the interesting, tricky part....

To get a smooth tomato puree without the skin, I use this method. Certain gravy dishes will taste unique when pureed in this method.The pictures are self explanatory, yet a quick narration for amateurs.

METHOD 1:

Make a small cut , like a "+" or "x" on the smooth end of the tomato, using a knife. Hold the tomato on the stem end and grate using a grater. The skin stays back and an awesome puree is ready. You can apply this method when 1 or 2 tomatoes are used for a dish.

METHOD 2:

Half the tomatoes and grate through your palm. The skin stays back without wounding your hand.